Reflect

“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

Proverbs 27:19

I’m one of the few people who still send out Christmas cards and take the time to send a Christmas letter.  I have not stepped into the electronic age of sending it through email or facebook.  Plus there is just something about a letter that you can hold and read.  Every year someone replies to me and tells me how much it meant to them and encouraged them.  However, I know God has me do it for me, too.

You see, when I write that Christmas letter, I am taking the time to reflect on what has happened over the past year.  I think about what God has done.  I think about what God has taught me.  I think about how I have experienced God.  I think about the new friendships that God brought into my life and the old friendships that have gone through bumpy times but still decided that the relationship was the most important thing.

I ask God to show me how I made an eternal difference through the past year. What treasure did I lay up in heaven?  Who did I love with the love of Christ?  God’s Word says in Proverbs 27:19, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”  What is the reflection of my life?  Is it showing that I am like David and have a heart for God?

In the Christmas letter, I select my favorite photos of the year.  By looking through the pictures, I remember what God has done.  Each year, I give Him praise and glory for His protection and healing of my loved ones.  I stand amazed at how far He brought me and transformed me to be more like His Son and less like me in my selfishness and sin.

By taking the time to reflect, I’m invoking my memories.  Memories are essential for learning.  Without a memory, we would not have a foundation to learn anything new.  Remembering what God has done in our lives will give us hope for what He will do in the future.  It prepares me for the next year.  I don’t know what the next year holds, but God knows.  He knows how to equip me for it.  He knows the trials and battles as well as my victories and mighty exploits.  He knows how I will once again join in the exhilaration of participating with Him and experiencing the divine in some feat that is beyond me.  He knows my destiny.

My job is to know Him.  By knowing Him and building a relationship with Him, I will be prepared for the days to come.  When I choose to reflect on what God has done, I’m building a foundation for the new thing that He wants to build on top of it.  My foundation has to be secure.  My trust has to be complete.  He has proven faithful so far; He will prove faithful again.  He has shown Himself mighty in these things; I can trust Him to do even more.

So beloved, when was the last time that you reflected on what God has done in your life?  How have you seen His hand in your life?  He is very much involved in it.  Although you can’t see Him with your physical eyes, He can give you discernment so you know without a doubt that you have seen Him work in your life.  Take some time to reflect over the past year.  Think about how it looked from God’s throne room.  There won’t be any criticism for the things you did wrong or berating for the things that you didn’t do.  If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, then He has covered your sin debt.  If God convicts you of sin, repent and move on.  Remember He is the God who loves you and wants the best for you.  He doesn’t want to rip you to pieces and leave you useless.  So, pray and ask God to reveal to you what He did.  You can even take the time to write it down as an encouragement for when you may need it later.

Pray with me:  Father God, we praise You!  We want lives that reflect our hearts for You!  We want a heart that is pure and strong in You, Lord.  Help us to carve out the time to reflect on what You have done in our lives.  We don’t want to take for granted what You have done.  You don’t owe us anything.  We are not entitled to anything.  But You love us.  You have made us Your children.  So we recount what You have done.  We remember You.   It is foundational for what You want to do in our lives this year.  May we learn from it and be encouraged by it.  It’s in Your precious Son’s Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray.  Amen.